Finally--tunes in car

[Buicks Rule]

After years of cross country trips suffering through AM talk radio and FM stations that play 5 minutes of "music" to every 20 minutes of commercials, I finally found a better way thanks to my kids. I'm a little slow.

Due to glove box design in some of my Buicks, mounting a modern tape or cd player in there is just not an option. But, if the car has an AM/FM radio or you can mount an FM converter on your AM radio, there's an easy way to take everything with you.

Step 1--Purchase Apple I-pod. The cheaper 20 gig model will probably work, or even the mini.

Step 2--Load music from CD's onto Ipod in MP-3 or other format to reduce file size.

Step 3--Purchase Power Cord/FM converter combo by Monster or other vender for about $100.

Step 4--Plug cord into Ipod and cigarette lighter. Monster system has external station selector on converter. Select FM station on converter to match an unused MGH setting on car's FM radio.

Step 5--Enjoy your own CD's playing through the car's speaker(s) without having to haul them around.

Sound quality is OK. rear mounted antenna car seems a little lower quality than front mount but rear antenna car also has the highest quality sound system so it may be picking up things the other system misses. If the car is new enough to have a cassette player, the direct link from Ipod to cassette provides better sound quality but the FM converter does a decent job.

Let's put it this way. I would rather listen to music of MY choice, even if at less than ideal quality, than listen to endless ads and mindless chatter.

Upon arrival at the show, unplug cord from cigarette lighter and put Ipod in pocket. Even in a protective hard case, a full size ipod is only about the size of a deck of cards. The judges will never know.....

[BigFella]

Yup we have had some discussions before about that same topic on this board:

Adding Audio to a Classic

cd player

[Buicks Rule]

John,

I told you I was a little slow.

I went with the more expensive power cord combined with FM transmitter as my kids indicated the sound quality was better with that system than with the little one that plugs into the output port on the ipod. This one may also be easier to change on the fly so to speak as the blank frequency that I use for my area won't be blank everywhere.

Like John, I have a convertible, so installing an expensive sound system was not only going to be a pain but also has security issues since anything left in an open car, including CD's tends to walk easily. Sound quality is probably 80% of CD quality mainly due to old radios but it is an almost hassle free system.

They also make speakers and other things specifically for these units but the more stuff you have laying around the car, the more stuff you have to move to the trunk or clear out for judging.

Remember back in the 60's when everybody under 20 had a transister radio glued to their bodies. Take a look at your average teenager today--the ipod or mp3 player goes everywhere with them.